


Better Than Tea

by Westgate (Harkpad)



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Avengers, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-23
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-09 18:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10418604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harkpad/pseuds/Westgate
Summary: It might be unclear to some when Bucky and Clint started dating. Clint knows exactly when it happened, and it wasn't when he tried to steal one of Tony's cars.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This came out of nowhere. I hope it makes someone smile.

**_Clint knew the exact moment he and Bucky started dating._ **

_It wasn’t when they snuck into the back of a theater to watch East of Eden, but that was super-fun._

They did sneak, too.

Bucky said to Clint that morning, “I wanna go out tonight. Steve and I used to go to the pictures when we could scrounge the money as kids. Wanna scrounge a few bucks and go see somethin’?”

Clint stopped his spoonful of Lucky Charms halfway to his mouth and stared at Bucky. Sometimes the difference in how they each grew up showed itself in weird ways. “I’ve never paid for a movie.”

Bucky blinked at him and set his coffee down. “What? You’ve never been to a theater?”

Memories of small, Midwestern towns with one main street and a marquee the size of two shipping crates with lights around them, and crooked black letters displaying the movie playing popped into Clint’s head. “I’ve been to a theater. Never paid to get in,” he said with a sheepish grin. He could practically feel Barney’s hand on his head, pressing him down behind the smelly garbage cans in the alley behind the theater so they could wait until someone came to throw out some trash. When the door was almost closed, Clint was in charge of lobbing a piece of trash so that it caught the door and they could sneak in.

“You snuck in?” Bucky asked, his smile stealing across his face and lighting those blue eyes in a way that made Clint give up and set the spoon back in his bowl before he did something embarrassing like drop it.

“Yep,” Clint replied. He shrugged. “Me and Barney didn’t have any money, but everyone said Star Wars was awesome.” He paused. “They weren’t wrong.”

“How’d you sneak in?” Bucky asked, sitting down with his coffee next to Clint.

Clint cocked his head, let his wicked grin out, and said, “Want me to show you?”

They didn’t get caught, and Bucky decided to come home and watch every James Dean movie ever made. That was a good week.

_It wasn’t when Bucky challenged Clint to hotwire one of Stark’s cars without getting caught, but that was super-fun, too._

“JARVIS’ll catch you,” Bucky said, rolling his head to look lazily at Clint. They were standing leather jacket-to-leather jacket in the garage, staring at the seven or eight cars Tony called his own.

Clint cracked the knuckles on his hands with a grin. “Yeah, but he won’t say anything.” He pulled his arm across his chest to crack his shoulder, too.

“Why not,” Bucky asked, staring a moment too long at the way Clint’s white t-shirt rode up a little above his faded jeans.

Clint noticed and might have stretched out his other shoulder to see if Bucky looked again.

He did.

“Because JARVIS and I made a deal, right J?” he called, looking up at the ceiling. He loved JARVIS. JARVIS was convenient as hell, funny, and had somehow managed to get programmed in such a way that Clint could convince him that unusual things were good for Tony. Like dartboards in his workshop, or extra mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches in his grocery order.

“We did, Clint,” JARVIS answered, and if a computer could have a smile in its voice, this one did.

“He calls you ‘Clint,’” Bucky asked. “He always calls me ‘sir’ or ‘Mr. Barnes,’ which I hate, by the way.”

“I will endeavor to stop calling you that, sir,” JARVIS chimed in.

“J and I have an understanding. We worked together a lot right after the Chitauri Invasion, so we’re pals, right, J?”

“You may be the only person I work with who calls me your pal, so yes. We’re pals, Clint,” JARVIS answered.

Bucky leaned against Clint’s shoulder, something he’d started doing recently – stealing into Clint’s space when he could. Clint didn’t mind one bit, even though they weren’t dating. “So,” Bucky said, “How will you manage to steal a car? I thought Stark tinkered with all of these. I would think he made them thief-proof?”

Clint nudged Bucky. “Who’re you callin’ a thief?” Okay, so he was a thief, in soooo many ways. Some of it he couldn’t let go of from childhood; like sometimes when he was in a convenience store with someone he’d pocket a granola bar or candy bar without thinking. Some of it just felt right, like stealing a piece of Natasha’s toast in the morning, or stealing a hug from Phil when both of them felt like they might pass out from exhaustion.

Bucky didn’t even deign to answer, just raised his eyebrow at Clint and tried not to grin.

Clint moved over to his favorite of Tony’s cars, a cherry red Jaguar, and pulled a thin blade from his pocket. “Not a scratch, JARVIS, I promise,” he said, as if he was reminding the AI of an earlier conversation.

“Scratches violate the protocols of our agreement, yes,” JARVIS responded.

Clint could feel Bucky’s eyes on him as he managed to pop the lock to the car and get the door opened in under fifteen seconds. He shot a grin at Bucky and slid the other door open. “Hop in, Buck!”  he called as he slid his hands under the steering column.

“You didn’t tell me you’d done this before,” Bucky said, slouching down in the seat and pulling the blue baseball cap he loved so much down a little more.

Clint looked over to enjoy the pout of Bucky’s lips and laughed. “You didn’t ask.” The car hummed to life in less than twenty seconds and Bucky just shook his head. “Where are we goin’?” Clint asked. “And J, can you open the garage for me?”

“You hoodwinked me. You can take me to DiFara’s for pizza,” Bucky groused.

Clint laughed and sprung for pizza and beers. That was a good dinner.

**_No, they started dating on a night in Clint’s apartment, and super-fun may not be the best way to describe it, but it was definitely a beginning._ **

Clint was already in his purple flannel sleep pants and his favorite grey t-shirt that had holes in the armpits, he was almost asleep on his couch, and he had no plans of moving, so when JARVIS announced that Bucky was outside, he just mumbled, “He can come in.”

He heard the door open and shut, but he wasn’t sure he could even open his eyes without it jostling his bruised ribs and broken collarbone, so he just called, “Not much for entertainment tonight, Buck. Sorry.”

Bucky didn’t answer, just sat himself down on Clint’s couch next to him, and Clint felt his warm hand on Clint’s thigh, felt his thumb rubbing gently.

“Don’t need entertainment,” Bucky said, and his voice was so filled with worry that Clint opened one eye and looked at him. His face was shuttered and the frown took it over, making Bucky look like he was overacting on a soap opera.

Clint opened both eyes and blew out a breath. “I’m okay,” he said. “Just tired and can’t sleep.”

Bucky stood up, and that’s when Clint realized what was different. Bucky was wearing sleep pants of his own, and a thin New York Knicks t-shirt and his feet were bare. When Bucky moved from the couch to go to the kitchen, Clint realized that he couldn’t see any weapons. Nothing tucked into his waistband, no socks to tuck a knife into, nothing.

“I’ll get you some tea. You need a pain pill?” Bucky asked as he went to the kitchen and started rooting around the cupboards.

Clint couldn’t answer. Bucky didn’t go anywhere unarmed. Clint knew four different spots he kept weapons hidden, and they were all empty now, unless he had a blade shoved up his ass or something stupid like that. Clint had joined him for a movie night in Steve’s apartment and Bucky had been armed. Clint had found him tucked into Natasha’s couch drinking tea one morning and he’d been armed.

Bucky came back to Clint’s side with his eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look pale.” He crouched down in front of Clint with his palms on Clint’s thighs. “Clint?”

Clint blinked and asked, “You got any weapons on you?” He could hear the tremble in his own voice, and he was sure his face was giving away his astonishment.

Bucky leaned back and crossed his arms. “No. Should I be?” He looked around the room. “You got a gun on you?”

Clint swallowed and shook his head. “No. There’s one in the far cushion, but we don’t need it. I was just….” God, he was being so stupid. So what Bucky wasn’t armed. He was wearing his goddamned pajamas and trying to fix Clint tea. “You’re always armed,” he whispered.

Bucky stared at him, and Clint saw him realize what had happened when his eyes suddenly looked brighter and a little wet. “I – I didn’t think about it. I was just comin’ to check on you. I was worried.”

Clint nodded and grinned. “Yeah? You were worried about me?”

Bucky moved to sit close to Clint on the couch, and he reached up slowly to run his hand down Clint’s cheek. His hand was dry and warm and Clint couldn’t help leaning into it a bit.

“I always worry about you,” Bucky said, and then he grinned. “Even when you’re just tryin’ to make yourself some coffee.”

“That was one time,” Clint replied, and neither of them moved.

Bucky shrugged. “So I worry. I want you safe.”

“Bucky,” Clint started, but he had no idea what he wanted to say, so he just closed his mouth.

Bucky leaned in close, rubbed his thumb along Clint’s chin, and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, soft and warm, and when Bucky pulled back he was smiling. “I want you safe so I can do that.”

Clint nodded, and pulled Bucky in for another kiss. Making out was better than tea. Not by much, but it was better than tea, and besides, they were dating now and Bucky could make him tea whenever he wanted to.

 

 


End file.
